Best Car Hire Gatwick Airport London

Q: If driving is not your thing:

If driving is not your thing: London has a fantastic underground train system, locally known as the ‘Tube' which can save you a lot of stress maneuvering the busy city roads. For over-ground train travel further afield, the National Rail service is also quick and reliable. Here are directions to the over-ground train hub stations in London: Here are directions from Heathrow to the main over-ground train hub stations in London: London Paddington London Victoria London Marylebone King's Cross St. Pancras To use London's public transport, you will need to purchase a paper ticket or prepaid ‘Oyster Card' online or at any station in the city. If your debit or credit card has ‘Contactless' capability, it can be used to travel like an Oyster card, however not many overseas cards will be compatible. London buses do not accept cash and fares are significantly cheaper on the Oyster Card. A ‘1 Day Travel Card' is also available, and you can specify whether you want to use it only on the trains or on a combination of trains and buses. Visit TFL to find out more. From Gatwick airport you can travel into central London using the direct train link “Gatwick Express.” For more information and to purchase tickets, see their website at http://www.gatwickexpress.com/. London Underground is not available and the airport is outside the zone for travel cards. To obtain discounts on travel and more, visit our London Discount Cards for more information.

Things to be Consider Hiring a Car at London Gatwick Airport?

Car hire at Gatwick is popular. It is a busy airport and is located outside the London metropolitan area, making public transport more expensive and time consuming. Booking a car in advance is therefore a good idea.

It is normally cheaper to book through comparison sites than to book direct with car rental companies, and we aim to help you save money doing so. We are a family run business that has negotiated rates with suppliers and aim to share savings with you. Booking online with us will earn an extra 3% cashback.

The following is a list of the car rental companies with offices at Gatwick airport. They may also partner with other companies, so don’t be alarmed if you book online and find one that isn’t listed below.

If you do want to contact the company by telephone, then the UK dialing code from overseas is +44.

Car Hire Companies at London Gatwick Airport see below
Company	Telephone Number
Alamo	0870 400 4562
Avis	0844 5446007
Budget	0844 544 6001
Enterprise	0870 3503000
Europcar	0871 3843408
Hertz	0843 3093099
National	0870 4004581
Sixt	0844 4993399

Driving costs and Potential Destinations

The average fuel cost in the UK is currently at a low of £1.07 per litre for petrol and £1.10 per litre for diesel. The price is much lower now than it has been for the last few years, but bear in mind that it is constantly adjusted. Aside from London's Congestion Charge, there are not really toll rolls in the UK. When you're planning your journey, consider the amount of traffic you might encounter and leave plenty of time to arrive at your destination.

Here are some ideas for must-see tourist sites within a 60 mile radius of Gatwick airport, as well as average driving times and maps with directions to get you there. For more information on other attractions in London, visit our London Attractions page. You can obtain discounts on attraction entry, restaurants and more at London Attraction Entry Discount Cards.

If you do want to contact the company by telephone, then the UK dialing code from overseas is +44.

Destination	Distance	Journey time	Journey time	Directions
Houses of Parliament	42.2 miles	1 hour 18 minutes	Map	Video
British Museum	43.8 miles	1 hour 28 minutes	Map	Video
Big Ben	42.4 miles	1 hour 19 minutes	Map	Video
Tower of London	50.8 miles	1 hour 14 minutes	Map	Video
Buckingham Palace	41.8 miles	1 hour 20 minutes	Map	Video
Westminster Abbey	42.4 miles	1 hour 19 minutes	Map	Video
Globe Theatre	52 miles	1 hour 23 minutes	Map	Video
Tower Bridge	50.6 miles	1 hour 10 minutes	Map	Video
St Paul’s Cathedral	52.5 miles	1 hour 27 minutes	Map	Video
South Bank	41.5 miles	1 hour 15 minutes	Map	Video
Brighton	28.5 miles	40 minutes	Maps	Video
Royal Tunbridge Wells	22.9 miles	42 minutes	Maps	Video

How can I get to the city?

It is convenient to get into the city from Gatwick. There are is a direct train link “Gatwick Express.” However the airport is too far from central London to be connected by London Underground or buses. If there is more than 1 person in your travel party, you may find it cheaper to rent a car than to buy multiple tickets. Here are some other reasons to hire a car at Gatwick airport:

1Located south of central London and linked by major road (A23) to central London. It is also close to the major London ring road M25 which provides connections to all of London and the surrounding area.
2As it outside the metropolitan London zone, travel by public transport is more expensive than at Heathrow or London City airport. London travel cards cannot be used.
3A taxi fare from the airport to central London is likely to cost more than £80.
4Car collection is easy, with most rental companies having desks at each of the two terminals at the airport. Cars are then just a short covered walk away.

If driving is not your thing

London has a fantastic underground train system, locally known as the ‘Tube' which can save you a lot of stress maneuvering the busy city roads. For over-ground train travel further afield, the National Rail service is also quick and reliable. Here are directions to the over-ground train hub stations in London:

Here are directions from Heathrow to the main over-ground train hub stations in London:

To use London's public transport, you will need to purchase a paper ticket or prepaid ‘Oyster Card' online or at any station in the city. If your debit or credit card has ‘Contactless' capability, it can be used to travel like an Oyster card, however not many overseas cards will be compatible. London buses do not accept cash and fares are significantly cheaper on the Oyster Card. A ‘1 Day Travel Card' is also available, and you can specify whether you want to use it only on the trains or on a combination of trains and buses. Visit TFL to find out more.

From Gatwick airport you can travel into central London using the direct train link “Gatwick Express.” For more information and to purchase tickets, see their website at http://www.gatwickexpress.com/. London Underground is not available and the airport is outside the zone for travel cards.

To obtain discounts on travel and more, visit our London Discount Cards for more information.

General Information & Tips on Car Hire

Gatwick Airport is Britain's second busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic after Heathrow. It is located just north of Crawley in West Sussex and just under 30 miles south of central London. It was used by 38.1 million passengers in 2014. There are excellent transport links with London, including a direct rail link. You can also hire a car from here to explore the city or elsewhere in the UK..

There are two terminals, North and South, and two runways, although the northern runway is only used in case of the main runway being out of service. The main runway can handle up to 55 aircraft movements per hour. Gatwick accommodates all three main types of airlines: full service, low or no frills and charter, making it unique among London's airports. Both terminals are equipped with a full range of facilities including shops, restaurants, baby changing, play areas and business lounges. The complex also has a conference center and several hotels. There are multi-faith prayer rooms and counselling rooms in each terminal.

Car hire branches of eight providers are found in both terminals. It will be an easy process to pick up your car as the vehicles are kept under cover and accessed directly from the building. However, it is always best to book online before arrival in order to get better deals. You can return the car to the airport or, usually, to any of the branches throughout the country.

Usefull Information

General Inquiries and flight information can be contacted at +44 (0)844 892 0322

Lost property can be contacted at +44 (0) 1293 503162.

Visit http://www.gatwickairport.com/ for further information.

Before You Go

Before finalizing your trip make you take a look at our comprehensive guide to things to consider before flying to London and practical tips for car rental in the United Kingdom.

Alternative Airports

Remember, Gatwick is not the only London airport! There are 5 main airports serving the capital area, and one of the others may be a better choice for a number of reasons. We give the main lowdown on each of the airports and their locations here.

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